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Cleveland Browns (2007 & prior)

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Savage still running Browns

By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer
December 30, 2005

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Browns president John Collins denied Friday that the club was planning to fire general manager Phil Savage, who was hired less than a year ago to help fix Cleveland's floundering franchise.

"Phil's not going anywhere," Collins said. "He hasn't been fired, and he's not going to be fired. There is no reduction of responsibility. There is no rift."


ESPN.com reported Friday that Savage, Baltimore's former personnel director who was hired on Jan. 6 to stabilize a fractured front office in Cleveland, was on the verge of being fired over "philosophical differences."

However, Collins said he and owner Randy Lerner are pleased with Savage's performance in his first season and have no intention of letting him go. With rumors running rampant about a shake-up two days before Cleveland's season finale against Baltimore, Collins met with Savage, Lerner and coach Romeo Crennel.

"We sat down and we basically renewed our vows," Collins said. "I'm not really sure where this got started."

Asked if Savage is going to resign, Collins said, "I don't think so. Phil is raw about what happened, and understandably so."

Savage, who had been planning to scout bowl games this weekend, could not be reached in his office or at his suburban home.

Collins, who joined the Browns in 2004, said the Browns' front office is about to undergo some changes, with financial vice president Doug Jacobs and chief operating officer Lew Merletti taking on new roles.

Collins said Mike Keenan, the NFL management council's finance director, will join the Browns to replace Jacobs and there have been ongoing discussions about bringing in others to upgrade Cleveland's management team.

Savage and Crennel are the most recent additions to a front office that hasn't worked together for a year. Collins said the group is still finding its way together, and that there are bound to be problems.

"We've felt our way through this season," Collins said. "Has there been moments when we could have made better decisions? Have there been times when the communication could have been better? Yeah. But we're getting better."

Collins said he and Savage "have a mutual respect and hopefully we can have some fun together."

Although they never comment on rumors, the Browns posted a statement from Collins on their Web site, assuring fans that Savage "is and will continue to be our senior vice president and general manager. ... Together, we are going to continue to do whatever is necessary to reestablish the Browns as one of the premiere franchises in all of sports."

Considered one of the NFL's top talent evaluators for his success in nine years drafting players for the Ravens, the 40-year-old Savage was brought to Cleveland to rebuild the Browns' roster, and he has spent most of this season on the road scouting college players.

Savage's strength is his ability to find quality players, and in his first draft with the Browns, he selected wide receiver Braylon Edwards (No. 3 overall) in the first round and quarterback Charlie Frye in the third.

Edwards, who sat out part of training camp in a contract holdout, tore a knee ligament in a Dec. 4 game against Jacksonville, ending his rookie season. Frye will make his fifth start on Sunday when the Browns (5-10) host the Ravens.

The rest of Cleveland's first draft class under Savage has gotten little playing time for Crennel.

Savage's arrival was heralded as a positive step for the Browns, who are just 35-77 since they returned to the NFL in 1999 as an expansion team. The club's progress has been undermined by poor draft picks, injuries and instability.

While speculation swirled about his future in Cleveland, Savage finalized a four-year contract extension Friday for cornerback Leigh Bodden, a three-year veteran who has played well filling in for the injured Gary Baxter.

In 10 starts this season, Bodden has 55 tackles, three interceptions and forced two fumbles.
 
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1/1/06

Frye’s arm strength in question after last week’s loss

Sunday, January 1, 2006

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Steve Doerschuk REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER[/FONT]




CLEVELAND - Is Charlie Frye’s cannon too small for the big time?
That’s a companion question for, “Why did Frye last until Round 3 of this year’s draft?”
A windy Saturday and a 41-0 loss to Pittsburgh last week stirred the issue of whether Frye has enough arm to be a winning NFL starter.
Yet, when asked Friday what he thinks of the question, the rookie gave one of his now-familiar chuckles. This one said, “That’s just wrong.”
“I can get the ball where it needs to go,” said Frye, who makes his fifth NFL start in today’s season finale. “That’s the bottom line.”
Arm strength is an issue when the cold winds whip off Lake Erie.
“The wind is a little stronger coming off the lake than it was at Rubber Bowl,” the former University of Akron slinger said. “It’s nothing too bad.
“Going into the wind, you can’t put a lot of air under the ball. You’ve gotta throw it a little harder.”
Frye said he can cut the ball through the wind as needed.
“You really don’t listen to that stuff (about arm strength),” he said. “You go out and play football.
“I feel real confident I can make any throw coach wants me to make,” Frye said, “whether it be on the run, throwing it 50 yards down the field. Whatever.”
Head Coach Romeo Crennel continues to say Frye’s rough day against Pittsburgh was neither a product of too little arm or the “happy feet” rookie quarterbacks tend to get under a pass rush.
“I don’t think Charlie got happy feet,” Crennel said. “He stood in the pocket and got hit. That’s why he got sacked so many times (eight).
“Like I’ve said, it wouldn’t have mattered if Johnny Unitas had been the quarterback. It wouldn’t have been good.”
Frye would love to play as long as Johnny Unitas, who was a Baltimore Colts quarterback from 1956-72.
Crennel is reserving the starting job for Frye only through today’s game against the Ravens. As to his starting passer for next season, Crennel said, “I’m not gonna make that determination Monday.”
On Friday, though, Frye talked about what got him to the NFL and what might keep him there with a certain confidence.
“What do you look for in a quarterback?” he said. “Confidence. Leadership. Those are the things you can’t teach. I think that’s something I take pride in ... being able to lead a team.”
Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: [email protected]


RAVENS AT BROWNS
Today, 1 p.m.
Cleveland Browns Stadium
TV WOIO
RADIO WHBC-AM 1480, WQKT-FM 104.5, WAKR-AM 1590, WMMS-FM 100.7, WTAM-AM 1100, WJER-AM 1450
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1/2/06

BROWNS SPOTLIGHT: Stability is key during offseason

Monday, January 2, 2006

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]BROWNS SPOTLIGHT TODD PORTER[/FONT]


<TABLE style="MARGIN: 10px -3px 15px 5px; POSITION: relative" width=300 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD>Related Stories
Defense does its job well

A final look at the game

Offense recovers just in time

In-depth on Sunday’s game

Savage not saying what new year brings

A fresh start at season’s end

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CLEVELAND - This could have been a great ending to another awful season. It could have been full of hope and promise. It could have led you to believe the Browns were crawling out of the hole.
It was for a second or two. Then the Browns threw themselves back in it.
There is a cloud that always manages to hang over the Cleveland Browns franchise, the NFL’s worst team on the field since its return in 1999 and quickly becoming the worst managed one off it as well.
Rookie quarterback Charlie Frye again showed signs, but not enough of them during a nailbiting 20-16 win Sunday over the Ravens. Frye didn’t answer enough questions to prove he is the future of this team, though he has answered enough to show he might be.
“I felt I made some strides,” Frye said. “I got better as the year went on.”
Head Coach Romeo Crennel seemingly endorsed Frye, but left wiggle room to go in either direction with the quarterback.
That is what men in Crennel’s position do. This is what men in the Browns organization have done for a while. Butch Davis had absolute power. Chris Palmer had no power. Crennel and in-limbo General Manager Phil Savage share power.
Crennel and Savage aren’t the only elements to Cleveland’s complex management scheme. There’s Jim Brown, whose role as adviser seems all-encompassing. He was spinning the latest embarrassing storyline the same way he once bounced off tacklers.
There are too many elements. Too many bosses, managers, directors. Everyone walks on egg shells looking over their shoulder in this organization, because there is always someone watching, someone listening, someone with an agenda.
Cleveland has spent seven years trying to gather pieces to the puzzle, but the Browns haven’t found out a way to keep anyone long enough to put it together.
The bottom line at the end of the day is owner Randy Lerner. Every decision reflects on him. The few good ones there have been and the bad ones.
Crennel won’t talk about Savage, though he may today as changes within his coaching staff seem to be adrift.
Savage may have gained some favors with his bosses by not addressing his situation, other than to say he is still the general manager of the Browns — today.
What about at the end of the week?
Obviously, there are problems with this structure. But the Browns have enough problems on the field. There is no need to create ones off it.
When team President John Collins announced Friday that the management team essentially renewed their vows, that’s spin. Any marriage needing vows renewed before the first anniversary is a rocky one.
Oddly enough, if someone were to leave, Collins is the most expendable. Crennel is safe. Savage should be safe. He’s knows better than anyone in the organization how to take the next step, drafting players and buying others through free agency.
Perhaps there’s the pressure point.
Cleveland can be one of the free-agent spenders this offseason, which always seems to start so soon around here. The Browns are about $30 million, give or take, under the cap. Maybe this is where disagreement has cropped up.
Maybe someone wanted to make a free-agent splash, sign a couple of big names because the Browns need something to sell next season.
Maybe Savage believes, and rightly so, this isn’t the way to spend the salary cap loot. That’s wasn’t the New England model. The Patriots signed players with talent but also something to prove.
The Browns have proven a few things since the late Al Lerner forked over $530 million for the team. They’ve proven inept. They’ve proven a once proud franchise can become the Cardinals, Bengals and 49ers while trying to become the opposite.
This is what makes the dynamics of Cleveland’s problem all the more interesting. The Browns aren’t trying to be bad, but they’re getting there nevertheless.
The team’s 6-10 record is better or what most people believed it would be after finishing 4-12 a year ago.
“We feel good about having a better record than they had last year,” Crennel said. “There are some things that could’ve been better. There are a couple of games in the middle of the year I felt like we could’ve won. If we won those games, there would be a better taste in their (the players’) mouth.”
Yes, Crennel made progress with little depth and trying to learn on the job what he has.
“The players,” he said, “understand what the coaches want, what the coaches desire and what’s expected of them. Going forward, we should be better.”
That’s all well and good. The Browns, despite a recent 41-0 trouncing by a Pittsburgh, took a step forward.
Then tripped over their own feet in the process.
It’s nice the players know what’s expected of them after 16 games.
Maybe management could do the same. Maybe after seven seasons, they can learn what the fans expect of them. Getting along and getting together isn’t asking much. Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail: [email protected].
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1/2/06

Savage not saying what new year brings

Monday, January 2, 2006

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Steve Doerschuk Repository sports writer [/FONT]


<TABLE style="MARGIN: 10px -3px 15px 5px; POSITION: relative" width=300 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD>Related Stories
Defense does its job well

A final look at the game

Offense recovers just in time

In-depth on Sunday’s game

BROWNS SPOTLIGHT: Stability is key during offseason

A fresh start at season’s end

<HR align=left width="80%"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
CLEVELAND - Phil Savage headed for the stadium parking lot with a small army of TV cameras in his wake.
“Good theater, huh?” Savage said as he walked away from Sunday’s 20-16 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
If you like mystery theater.
Asked if there will be an announcement within a few days as to whether he is staying with the Browns, Savage said, “I have no idea ... I’m the general manager of the Browns. I’m happy we won today.”
On Friday, Browns President John Collins appeared ready to part ways with Savage amid a dispute over office logistics.
According to sources familiar with that strange day:
n Savage indicated his brief run with the Browns was over and made preliminary moves to get his affairs in order. Head Coach Romeo Crennel regarded a Savage departure as unacceptable and said so to Collins and owner Randy Lerner.
n Lerner acknowledged the harm in losing Savage and alienating Crennel.
n In addition to pressure from Crennel, Lerner responded to a talk-show firestorm of fans enraged by the thought of losing Savage after less than a year on the job.
n The Browns’ — including Crennel’s — unwillingness to clarify Savage’s status left open the possibility that Savage will opt out or Collins’ role will change.
Collins said he, Savage, Crennel and Lerner emerged from a Friday night meeting having “renewed our vows.”
Browns players came away from their victory with varying views of the Savage situation.
Veteran Dennis Northcutt, who scored the go-ahead points on a punt-return touchdown, had the most detailed perspective.
“It’s not a bad thing,” he said. “I think when things are happening, things are happening for the positive. There’s nobody just sitting around and letting it be.
“Mr. Lerner and this organization are trying to do everything in (their) power to put together a team that can compete to the highest level. That’s all that matters. If that takes for me not to be here because that’s not the direction, so be it.
“If I’m dropping’ balls, ain’t nobody gonna sit back and just let me drop balls. They’re gonna go, ‘Hey, you better do something or you’re gonna be up outta here. That’s the kind of organization this is.
“I want to be a part of it.”
Would Northcutt, who just finished his sixth year in Cleveland, be upset if Savage left?
“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know Phil Savage like that. I mean, I just had him for one year.
“Hey, I’ve seen a lot of people come and go. That’s part of the job, part of the business. One day we’re all gonna come and go.”
Daylon McCutcheon has played through the franchise’s hirings and firings since it came back in 1999.
“We can’t control anything that’s going on in the front office,” McCutcheon said. “That’s gonna get taken care of regardless of what we want.
“Romeo just told us, ‘Your job is to play football. Go play football.’ That’s what we did.”
Safety Sean Jones was a Round 2 draft pick of Butch Davis and was a 2005 backup with the new regime. What did he make of Friday’s turmoil?
“What happens up there happens up there,” he said. “I don’t have any input in that, and I never will. I leave that to Coach Crennel, Randy Lerner and those guys.”
Linebacker Andra Davis recently signed a five-year contract extension. His view of the Savage situation:
“Whatever Mr. Lerner thinks is right for this team, I’m all for it.” Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail [email protected].
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John Collins is the one that needs to be sent out on his ass. That clown will ruin the progress that has been made eventually. It's just a shame that he is so far up lerner's ass, that lerner will do whatever he says.
 
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"That's the upshot of a busy day in Berea, in which owner Randy Lerner had conversations via phone with many of the principals and a day when many of the principals talked about the future into the evening.

Word came from several sources familiar with the workings in Berea, none of whom wanted their names mentioned.

The result: Savage -- as of Monday night -- was going to stay, and chief operating officer Lew Merletti was going to stay in Berea and not join the Lerner family business.

Collins' status is unclear, though he left Berea on Monday as the team's president and chief executive officer. He was said to be fighting to keep his position with the team."

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/13535768.htm
 
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1/3/06

Crennel says he wants Savage to return as GM

Tuesday, January 03, 2006
James Walker

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


BEREA, Ohio — The biggest question for the Cleveland Browns heading into the off-season has nothing to do with a particular player, but instead the future of their general manager.
In his first comments on the subject, coach Romeo Crennel said he wants and expects first-year general manager Phil Savage to return next season.
"I anticipate that Phil Savage is the general manager and I anticipate that he will continue in that job," Crennel said. "We’re going to evaluate what happened with the team during the course of this year. We’ll get together as an organization and evaluate what happened and see how we can improve things and keep this organization moving in the right direction."
The Browns are planning to make changes in the front office and how many changes are made could determine whether Savage stays. It is believed there is some tension in the front office, but Crennel says he has a good working relationship with Savage.
"I think you have different personalities in the organization and everybody doesn’t have to like everybody, but when they work toward that goal, everybody works toward the goal," Crennel said. "I think we all will work together, we have worked together, and we will continue to work together."
Sick bed

The Browns will have three players undergoing knee surgery today and more players are expected later this month.
Rookie receiver Braylon Edwards will get the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee repaired today. Guard Cosey Coleman also will undergo an arthroscopic repair on a knee, and fullback Corey McIntyre will get knee cartilage repaired.
Coleman and McIntyre are expected to be ready for spring camps. Edwards’ timeline is nine to 12 months.
Safety Chris Crocker (shoulder), defensive tackle Orpheus Roye (knee), tight end Steve Heiden (ankle) and guard Joe Andruzzi (calf) also may need surgery this winter.
Center Jeff Faine said he would begin four months of rehabilitating his torn right biceps next Tuesday.
"It’s a long process," Faine said. "I’ll play it by ear and not look that far down the line to speculate on how the rehab is going to go, but I’m fully confident I’ll be ready to go."
Wrapping up
The Browns’ 6-10 finish gives them the 12 th pick in April for the NFL draft. . . . The defense finished the season 11 th in the NFL in points allowed, 30 th against the run and fourth against the pass.
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1/3/06

Plenty of work ahead for Browns

Tuesday, January 3, 2006

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Steve Doerschuk Repository sports writer[/FONT]




BEREA - With miles to go before he sleeps, Romeo Crennel put his first year to bed.
In Monday’s sweeping talk about what a 6-10 season signifies, the Browns’ 58-year-old head coach touched on all the big stuff but left a certain amount of wondering about how he really feels.
For starters, Crennel weighed in on the weekend blowup that left everyone wondering — including for a while Phil Savage — whether Savage was still the general manager.
“I anticipate Phil Savage is the general manager,” Crennel said Monday, “and that he will continue in that job.”
Browns President John Collins said Friday’s blow-up left Savage “raw,” and the general manager has been publicly reticent, other than to say, “I’m the general manager of the Cleveland Browns.”
Crennel has five Super Bowl rings and is a good deal older than Collins, Savage and owner Randy Lerner. To an extent, Collins said, Crennel will be looked to for reason and wisdom in meetings among them.
Indications are Crennel was sharply opposed to Savage being pushed out or offended to the point he would leave. While it appeared Monday that Savage will stay, indications are Crennel wanted Savage to work through office politics.
“You have different personalities,” Crennel said. “Everybody doesn’t have to like everybody.”
Crennel, who has coached in the NFL for 25 years, didn’t say Savage absolutely will stay.
“This is the NFL,” he said. “If something happens to me, you guys will come in and talk to whoever they put in this chair.”
Here’s a look at some of the topics Crennel did touch on:
Quarterback Charlie Frye
Crennel did not say the rookie’s five starts won him the starting job for 2006.
“I think we’ll have a good competition in training camp for the quarterback job,” he said.
It might be between Frye and Trent Dilfer and/or someone else.
Asked if it is possible another quarterback could be brought in, Crennel said, “You always need to go out and find better players. If we see someone we think is better, we’ll try to get better.”
Did Frye do enough to show he can be a long-term starter?
“He’s done enough to show he can be a player in this league,” Crennel said. “Maybe he can be long term. Only time will really tell that.”
Opponents stepped up blitzing after Frye replaced Dilfer. In 356 pass plays, Dilfer was sacked 23 times. In 186 pass plays, foes sacked Frye 21 times.
Savage’s 2005 draft
First-round pick Braylon Edwards caught 32 passes for 512 yards in the 10 games he didn’t lose to an infection and a blown ACL.
Second round pick Brodney Pool didn’t get any starts at safety but played in 13 games, making 25 tackles.
Third-round pick Frye played in seven games and made five starts, going 98-of-165 for 1,002 yards, with four touchdowns, six interceptions and a 69.8 rating.
“The guys we drafted on the first day did something for us,” Crennel said. “That’s what you anticipate. ... If you take Edwards, Frye and Pool, I think we’ll be more than satisfied with those guys.”
Fourth-round pick Antonio Perkins, a cornerback, was healthy but appeared in only one game.
Fifth-round pick David McMillan, a projected edge rusher, played in only four games, none after Oct. 23. He didn’t have a tackle.
Sixth-round pick Nick Speegle played in 14 games, almost exclusively on kick and punt teams. He had one tackle as a linebacker.
Sixth-round pick Andrew Hoffman was cut during the preseason and landed on the practice squad.
Seventh-round pick Jonathan Dunn, an offensive tackle, spent the year on injured reserve.
“We knew some of our second-day guys were developmental,” Crennel said. “They maybe didn’t come on as much as we hoped, but they gained valuable experience.”
Crennel said Speegle “played great on special teams.”
March free-agency signings
Crennel said the Browns will try to sign “two or three” veteran free agents.
That would make them less busy than they were in 2005, when free agents Gary Baxter L.J. Shelton, Joe Andruzzi, Cosey Coleman, Jason Fisk, Brian Russell and Kyle Richardson signed and became starters. Two other key men, Reuben Droughns and Dilfer, arrived in trades.
“Hopefully,” Crennel said, “we will pick guys who will have an impact.”
That could mean chasing fewer players but ones with bigger names.
The Browns seem poised to add a starting linebacker and a starting defensive lineman to address leaky run defense.
Crennel said his old team, the Patriots, got instant help from both the draft (in 2001, from Round 1 pick Richard Seymour) and a trade (Ted Washington in 2003).
“You never know where players who can help are coming from, or when,” Crennel said.
Washington was acquired in a trade with the Redskins two weeks before the Patriots’ 2003 season opener. He helped them win a Super Bowl.
Crennel on other issues
Coaches and player-personnel people will work together on player acquisitions. The Browns have the 12th pick in the first round.
Edwards is expected to undergo surgery today to repair his torn right ACL. He was hurt Dec. 4 but waited for swelling to go down.
Safety Chris Crocker suffered a dislocated shoulder during Sunday’s win over Baltimore.
Tight end Steve Heiden probably will have surgery to repair an ankle injury suffered against the Steelers.
Former Kent State quarterback Josh Cribbs solidified the kick returning job. Crennel: “You’ve gotta take your hat off to this kid.”
The Browns reached a minimal goal of bettering last year’s 4-12 finish, but Crennel said, “You are what you are. We won six, which is not very good. We’ve got to work to get better.” Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail [email protected]
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1/3/06

DISCOVERIES DURING AFTERMATH OF BROWNS' SEASON
Crennel helped save Savage


Tuesday, January 03, 2006 Tony Grossi
Plain Dealer Reporter
Browns coach Romeo Crennel made his feelings known to owner Randy Lerner on Friday when it appeared that General Manager Phil Savage would lose his job.

Asked Monday by The Plain Dealer if he threatened to resign, Crennel said, "I didn't say that. I went in [to Lerner's office] and said I felt this organization can work together and we should work it out."

Shortly after Crennel's plea, Lerner brought all the parties together. That was the meeting held at about 6 p.m., during which President John Collins said they "renewed our vows."

The meeting took place four hours after initial reports that Savage would be fired because of "philosophical differences." Collins later said he wanted to support Savage with a point man to handle contract negotiations.

Crennel's role in saving Savage's job should not be underestimated, according to a source.

Savage has not spoken publicly about the events that swirled inside Browns headquarters on Friday. Lerner and Collins have said that Savage won't be fired, but speculation that Savage might opt to resign will continue until he comments.

On Monday, Savage addressed the team for about 10 minutes with Crennel in a team meeting room. Players said Savage did not mention reports of his firing and sounded as if it would be business as usual.

"He said that he appreciated that all of us kept working and persevering through the season, and that we never quit, and that was the nature of our team," punter Kyle Richardson said. "He said he is looking forward to a positive future."

So, no farewell speech?

"I didn't hear that at all," Richardson said.

"He wasn't saying goodbye, by any means," tackle Ryan Tucker said. "Just that we were going forward, and he was going to improve the team, and we're going to get better."

Cornerback Leigh Bodden said Savage's message was positive and that he left the impression that he was staying, "but you never know."

Running back Reuben Droughns said he was encouraged by what he heard because Savage "is a good guy. . . . He brought me in, and I thanked him for doing that because he gave me an opportunity to make a name for myself."

In general, the players long for stability and don't want more upheaval one year after Savage and Crennel joined the team in a partnership to turn the franchise around.

Most don't have interaction with Savage at all, but they realize constant change in the organization is not a good thing.

Tucker said he was hoping for a peaceful off-season.

"I hope nothing too crazy happens," he said. "But I've been around long enough to know that anything can happen.

"Any turnover kind of shakes it up a little bit. I like Phil. I'd like him to stay. I don't even know there were plans to move him, just a lot of speculation."
In Crennel's final postmortem of the season, he said he had a good relationship with Savage, and he thinks he has all the input in personnel decisions that he needs.

"Phil is a good personnel guy," the coach said. "Plus, I talk to him, and he talks to me, so I think I can have a little input.

"I think that [in] any organization working toward a common goal, everybody has to get along and work toward that goal. There are different personalities in our organization. Everybody doesn't have to like everybody, but everybody has to work toward a goal. We've worked together and will continue to work together."

Lerner and Collins have said they will meet further this week with Savage and Crennel to discuss "whatever we need to do to fix" the organization.
On Monday, Savage was immersed in "unscheduled meetings" with scouts.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

[email protected], 216-999-4670
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